Girls' Trips are Actually Focus Groups

An unpaid qualitative research study disguised as a long weekend in Newport

Some links below are affiliate links; I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I link to things I've bought, things I've rejected, and things I'm still deciding on. I'll always say which.

I had a thought in the shower after getting back from a recent weekend in Newport with close friends: girls’ trips are in fact focus groups.

A group of women in their 30s sharing a hotel room for a long weekend will no doubt lead to an unpaid qualitative research study. Everyone’s toiletry bag is exposed, suitcases are exploding across the floor, someone needs to borrow someone’s [insert forgotten travel necessity here]. It’s the closest thing to a live product demonstration I have ever experienced.

It doesn’t take much to be flooded by product recommendations from aspirational influencers with hair/skin/homes/etc. you have never seen IRL. Social media obviously makes it easy to understand what products are trending and what brands people are currently flocking to, but on a girls’ trip no one is trying to influence you, which as it turns out is exactly why it works. You get to see products you may have been eyeing exist in their natural habitat, which for me is far more convincing than almost anything else on the internet.

A girls’ trip provides the context people don’t mention in their GRWMs, and context is of course everything. I know who heat-styles their hair every morning, who never washes their makeup brushes, who impulse buys and who has had the same moisturizer on their bathroom counter for the last five years.

A trip with your friends lets you test and see something on someone whose body, hair, personal style and buying habits you actually know. You get to find out whether the styling cream is the missing ingredient for your slicked-back summer hair, if the canvas hat you keep coming back to is worth the splurge, or whether you actually need to make room for milky toner in your skincare routine.

By the end of the weekend I’d spent $100 on products I had tested my way into and validated a few hundred dollars’ worth of stuff I already owned. All it took was borrowing everyone’s stuff and letting them borrow mine. Nobody was selling anything and yet everybody bought something.

Here’s what got a unanimous vote of confidence:

Crown Affair Smoothing Air Dry Cream + Finishing Gel

Crown Affair’s styling cream and gel are well worth it. They smell great, control flyaways and keep baby hairs in place without feeling like there’s anything in your hair. We all have different hair textures ranging from straight/fine to wavy/thick and took turns squeezing the last drops out of my friend’s bottles during the trip. I ordered my own set as soon as I got home.

Lack of Color Canvas Holiday Bucket Hat

This bucket hat is a 10/10. Tried and tested by four women with different complexions and head sizes, we all looked good in the beige in size Medium/Large. The ties are great for windy days, but can also be tucked away if that’s not your vibe. The brim folds to meet your level of sun protection and it’s easy to pack without destroying the hat.

Buck Mason Parachute Poplin Pants

People are apparently talking about the Leset Kyoto Carpenter Pant? IDK her, but my Buck Mason pants (at almost half the price) were apparently a good “dupe” according to those in the market. They have a relaxed fit through the hip and leg, don’t wrinkle too easily and are a great lightweight pant to throw on after the beach or to walk around town.

Homéoplasmine

The French pharmacy staple does indeed reign supreme. Great for dry lips, eczema spots, irritation, you name it. It’s an ointment similar to Aquaphor, but better because you get to say you got it in France! Not linking this one because there are a lot of counterfeits online so it’s worth getting from an actual pharmacy or a friend going to France.

The jury’s still out on:

Vacation Chardonnay Oil SPF30

Smells and spreads okay, but it’s messy, doesn’t absorb well and transfers. Fine in a pinch, but wouldn’t be the one I reach for. Plus at least one of us got a sunburn wearing it (though to be fair, that was most likely user error). I currently prefer this one from Bask or this one from Supergoop.

Eadem Le Chouchou Exfoliating + Softening Peptide Lip Balm

I was outvoted, but I’m not convinced. Three out of four women on our girls’ trip approved Eadem’s message, but in my opinion there’s nothing an overpriced lipgloss can do for me that the aforementioned Homeoplasmine can’t.

Byoma Milky Toner

Unsure. Half of us swore by Byoma’s Milky Toner. One of us had just ordered a different brand to try and the other couldn’t justify adding yet another step to their skincare routine. Further testing is required so we’ll have to come back to this one after another girls’ trip.

Purposely not tested:

Lettuce (or uncooked greens of any kind)

We were all shitting a brick about shitting a brick and agreed because of the Cyclospora outbreak at the time we would avoid any uncooked greens the entire weekend. We survived on lobster, french fries and martinis.

Either way, it turns out the best product testing lab is in a hotel room where four women have to share a bathroom.